In the healthcare field, industry and scientific research, it is often desirable or required to have a space that is partially or completely isolated from the external environment. For example, chemical and biological research experiments often need to be performed within an enclosed, isolated environment, such as in a fume hood, to prevent the release of noxious gases that can harm the scientist performing the experiment, or to prevent the introduction of contaminants from the external environment that can compromise the integrity of the experiment being performed.
In the healthcare field, the need to maintain a patient isolated from the external environment sometimes is extremely critical to the healthcare of the patient, and also to the health and safety of medical personnel treating, or others who may come near, the patient. For example, when a patient with an infectious disease is transported, such as from home to a hospital by ambulance, or alternatively by helicopter or aircraft, there is a risk that the patient, if not isolated, can infect and contaminate medical personnel treating and transporting the patient, spectators, the transport vehicle and the surroundings. Also, when the patient being transported has a suppressed immune system, such as a patient with AIDS, there is a risk that the patient, if not isolated, can become infected by biological agents from medical personnel treating and transporting the patient, spectators, the transport vehicle and the surroundings. In addition, patients with open wounds and burns who are not isolated during transport may be susceptible to infection, because they may be exposed to bacteria in the transport vehicle or carried by medical personnel.
Therefore, it is desirable to isolate an infectious and/or injured patient from the external environment during transport as part of the medical treatment being provided to the patient, and furthermore for protecting the health and safety of medical personnel caring for the patient during transport. Although prior art devices for transporting a patient isolated from the external environment exist, such devices usually limit the ability of medical personnel to continuously and completely access the patient. In these prior art, isolation-capable patient transport devices, the patient often is enclosed within a bulky, opaque vinyl bag, which would be placed on a conventional litter. Such isolation-capable patient transport devices either do not allow access to the patient, unless the bag is opened such that the patient is no longer in isolation, or include a single or several fixed access ports, known as glove ports, through which medical personnel can access only the portion of the isolated patient in proximity to the port. Consequently, medical personnel attending to the patient during transport cannot readily access various regions of the patient while the patient is maintained in the isolation condition, because the glove port is at a fixed location that does not necessarily provide access to the region(s) of the patient that may require medical treatment. Further, where the bag includes several fixed glove ports, the personnel must remove their hands from one glove port and then re-insert their hands in another glove port to access a different portion of the patient, which is an undesirable way of accessing various portions of the patient.
In addition, patient isolation bags adapted for use with litters usually are substantially opaque except for a small clear area, such that only a small portion of the patient within the bag is visible from the outside. Prior art patient isolation bags also are relatively thick, such that sound is substantially prevented from entering and leaving the bag. Therefore, visual and audio communication between a patient in an isolation bag being transported on the litter, and medical personnel external to the isolation bag and attending to the patient during transport, is difficult and sometimes impossible. The limited opportunity for, or absence of any, visual and audio communication between the patient in the isolation bag being transported on the litter and the personnel external to the isolated patient can adversely affect the medical treatment being provided to the patient during transport.
Therefore, there is a need for an isolation container defining an isolation space in which an object is maintained substantially isolated from the external environment and where the isolation space is continuously and readily accessible, such that various regions of the object contained within the isolation space is continuously and readily accessible. In particular, there is a need for an isolation container for containing an injured and/or infectious patient in an isolation space during transport which provides continuous access to the patient while the patient is maintained substantially isolated and also facilitates communication between the patient within the isolation space and individuals in the environment external to the isolation space.